A Spoon Filled With Sugar by Michael White

Author:Michael White [White, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: EDP
Published: 2016-07-15T04:00:00+00:00

ALSO AVAILABLE

FROM MICHAEL WHITE

READ ON FOR THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS OF “OVERBOARD”

OVERBOARD

Prologue

~Being the First Bit of the Rest of it ~

To the untrained eye the figure that stood at the prow of the rowing boat as it approached the large moored vessel flying the skull and crossbones would have appeared to be the least likely pirate ever seen in the town of Hard Knocks. Six foot one and a bit tall and bearing a bright shock of red hair over a physique that bore a frightening resemblance to a fishing rod, the figure approaching the ship would have set even the most sea hardened buccaneer running to have a second look, though more out of genuine bewilderment than anything. In his correspondence course school his tutors had remarked repeatedly “His crew would follow him anywhere” before grimly concluding. “More out of curiosity than anything”.

The rowing boat carrying the tall red figure reached the gently rocking hull of The Rose of Mateus and a line was lowered from the ship above to secure the craft. There was a slight pause and then what passed for a rope ladder followed it. Three men sat in the rowing boat, but only one was leaving. He climbed the ladder and with a hand from several of the men above found himself on the deck of the ship, his bright red hair waving in an almost embarrassed way in the breeze.

“So this is a pirate ship.” He thought to himself. It really was quite impressive. Lots of what were presumably pirates seemed to be at work on the ropes, some on the sails. The ship was a hive of activity, most of which made no sense to him at all. There were even a few men working on the thingummy bob on top of the long wooden bit at the front end of the boat. The sharp bit. He couldn’t quite recall what the real name of it was, and decided that if that was the case then it probably was relatively important to remember it if he got hired. Making a mental note to look it up in his manual when he got back ashore. He was perturbed at his inability to recall the name of the pointy end as he rarely forgot anything. Actually, it would be more accurate to say nothing, and so he put it down to nerves. It was after all his first time on a pirate ship. Probably nerves, he concluded and turned around to look across the handrail he noticed the two men in the rowing boat below watching him carefully. Ignoring their scowls, he took in the view before him.

The Rose of Mateus was anchored just off the town of Hard Knocks, and across the bay he could see the towers and waterfront of the town, its white buildings and walls seeming almost to steam in the midday sun. As he stood there gazing across the sea a small man dressed in what was apparently quite normal clothing for a pirate approached him.

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